Dendy Direct has strengthened its film and TV offerings after signing licensing deals with Warner Bros. and SBS.
WB’s The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies is on the VOD platform and Interstellar goes up on Wednesday. Upcoming titles include American Sniper in May and Focus in June.
The SBS arrangement encompasses series including The Fall, The Bridge and The Returned.
The on-demand platform gets the WB content courtesy of its ongoing arrangement with Roadshow Films, which took over the physical and online distribution of the studio’s product last month.
Dendy CEO Greg Hughes says, “We are thrilled with our new distribution partnerships and to add further quality movie and TV content to Dendy Direct for our customers."
Roadshow MD Chris Chard says, “Roadshow looks forward to expanding our content offering with Dendy Direct and see it as an ideal platform to showcase our Warner Bros content."
SBS head of business development Will McKinnon says, “SBS is delighted to be partnering with Dendy Direct to offer a wide range of our fantastic content. It continues SBS’s commitment to bringing great stories to all Australians on as many platforms as possible.”
Dendy Direct is closing in on deals with other independents and studios. Launched last August, the service has deals with The Walt Disney Co. , 20th Century Fox, ABC Commercial, Beyond Home Entertainment, Entertainment One, Madman Entertainment, Pinnacle Films, Roadshow, Transmission and Umbrella Entertainment. A library deal with Studiocanal was concluded subsequently.
Dendy head of digital Suzanne Moody tells IF that Netflix’s launch has helped focus attention on the online entertainment sector. “We’re experiencing steady growth,” she says. “We welcome the SVOD players because they educate consumers about digital entertainment.”
Dendy Direct is planning a major marketing campaign as soon as it's available on smart TVs and Google Chromecast.